Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the resist application can be finished in a small quantity even on a resist with a high viscosity or a substrate with poor wettability. More specifically, this invention provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having the following structure. A wafer  1  is held on the upper side of a chuck  13.  The chuck  13  is connected to a spin motor  15,  a motor-pedestal seat  17  and an air cylinder shaft  19.  The spin motor  15  can rotate around vertical axis while the air cylinder shaft  19  can move vertically. When a resist  5  is dropped on the wafer  1,  the air is supplied to the air cylinder  21  concurrently with the rotation of the spin motor  15,  and the air cylinder  19  moves upward. Along with these operations, the chuck  13  moves upward rotating. The resist  5  is spread and applied on the wafer  1,  pressed against by the wafer  1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing semiconductor device used for a resist application in a photolithography step, a part of the step for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit and relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0003] 2. Related Art

[0004] In the photolithography step for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit, it is necessary to include the step for applying resist to a semiconductor wafer. FIG. 3 shows the principle of an apparatus conventionally used for applying resist. In this apparatus, a wafer 1 carried from the previous step is centered and held by a chuck 3. Next, a resist 5 is dropped on the wafer 1, and the chuck 3 is rotated around vertical axis. Thereby the resist 5 is spread on all over the plane of the wafer 1, and applied on the wafer 1. The film thickness of the resist 5 is adjusted at a desired level by setting the rotating velocity and rotating time of the chuck 3.

[0005] In the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, however, when the resist has a high viscosity or the resist is applied on a substrate with poor wettability, such an inconvenience as shown in FIG. 4 is caused. In other words, a resist liquid spatters upward to cause a poor application, or a bubble is entered at the interface between the resist and the wafer to cause a defect. To prevent these, in addition, the resist must be dropped in more quantity than necessary.

[0006] The present invention is achieved in views of the aforementioned problems. The object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, in which the resist application can be finished in a small quantity even on a resist with a high viscosity or a substrate with poor wettability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In the first aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object, there is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: holding a wafer with a stage; coating a resist on the wafer by spinning the wafer; elevating the stage which is holding the wafer while the resist is coated on the wafer.

[0008] In the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: holding a wafer with a stage; coating a resist on the wafer by spinning the wafer; going up the stage which is holding the wafer while the resist is coated on the wafer.

[0009] In these configurations, the holding part can be elevated or gone up while rotated after the resist is dropped on the wafer. Thereby the resist can be spread pressing against the wafer, to prevent the poor application and the bubble entry. Consequently, the resist application can be finished in a smaller quantity thereby than by applying only by rotation. Further, by carrying the wafer from the elevated holding part, the wafer can be carried effectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above and other features of the invention and the concomitant advantages will be better understood and appreciated by persons skilled in the field to which the invention pertains in view of the following description given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments.

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment in the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a main part side view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment in the present invention.

[0013]FIG. 3 illustrates the principle of a conventional apparatus.

[0014]FIG. 4 shows the problem of a conventional apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] (First Embodiment)

[0016] Hereafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment in the present invention. A wafer 1 is held on the upper side of a chuck 13. The chuck 13 is connected to a spin motor 15. The spin motor 15 can rotate around vertical axis. The chuck 13 rotates around vertical axis as the spin motor 15 rotates.

[0017] The spin motor 15 is coupled to an air cylinder shaft 19 via a motor-pedestal seat 17. The air cylinder shaft 19 can move vertically sliding in contact with the inside of a cylindrical air cylinder 21. The internal part of the air cylinder 21 is connected to an air-supply apparatus (not shown).

[0018] As the air is supplied and exhausted by the air-supply apparatus, the air cylinder shaft 19 moves vertically. By changing the air-supply pressure, the upward movement velocity and upward acceleration of the air cylinder shaft 19 can be changed. As the vertical movement of the air cylinder shaft 19, the wafer 1, the chuck 13, the spin motor 15 and the motor-pedestal seat 17 move integrally in a vertical direction.

[0019] A stick-shaped vertical-movement guide 25, at the bottom part of which is fixed by a bottom plate 23 and has an enough length along with the moving path of the motor-pedestal seat 17, is provided around the motor-pedestal seat 17. To simplify the drawing, FIG. 1 shows only one vertical-movement guide 25, however, four, the number of the sides of the motor-pedestal seat 17, vertical-movement guides are provided opposite along the sides of the motor-pedestal seat 17. The vertical-movement guide 25 and the motor-pedestal seat 17 are spaced to be close or to contact lightly with each other. The vertical-movement guide 25 prevents the motor-pedestal seat 17 from moving inclinatorily in a vertical direction, and functions as a guide for the motor-pedestal seat 17 to move straight in a vertical direction.

[0020] In addition, a stick-shaped stopper 29, the one end of which is fixed at a side plate 27 and has long sides in a horizontal direction, is provided at the side plate 27. The other end of the stopper 29 is located above the motor-pedestal seat 17, and stops the movement of the motor-pedestal seat 17 when the motor-pedestal seat 17 moves upward to abut on the stopper 29. In other words, the stopper 29 decides the uppermost location for the motor-pedestal seat 17 to move. It is to be noted that the fixed location of the stopper 29 at the side plate 27 is changeable vertically. Therefore, the uppermost location for the motor-pedestal seat 17 to move is also changeable.

[0021] In this embodiment, the upward movement path of the wafer 1 is the carrying path of the wafer 1 to the next step. In addition, the wafer having moved upward can be carried in the horizontal direction by an apparatus (not shown).

[0022] In the next, the operation in this embodiment will be described. The wafer 1 carried from the previous step is centered and held by a chuck 3. Next, a resist 5 is dropped on the wafer 1. In this state, the air cylinder shaft 19 is located at the bottom of the vertical movement range. The air is supplied to the air cylinder 21 concurrently with the rotation of the spin motor 15, and the air cylinder shaft 19 moves upward along the vertical-movement guide 25 at a predetermined acceleration.

[0023] Along with the operation, the chuck 13 moves upward rotating. By the rotation, the resist 5 is spread on all over the plane of the wafer 1. By the movement with the upward acceleration, the downward inertial force acts on the resist 5, which is pressed against the wafer 1. By these operations, the resist application is carried out.

[0024] After the upward movement in a predetermined distance, the motor-pedestal seat 17 abuts on the stopper 29 to stop the upward movement. Also, the spin motor 15 stops rotating to end the resist application. The wafer with the resist application ended is carried in the horizontal direction by an apparatus (not shown) and the process for the next step is implemented.

[0025] According to this embodiment as described above, since the resist is spread while pressed against the wafer, the poor application and the bubble entry can be prevented even on a resist with a high viscosity or a substrate with poor wettability. Consequently, there is no need for the resist to be dropped in more quantity than necessary, and the resist application can be finished in a smaller quantity thereby than by applying only by rotation.

[0026] In this embodiment, the upward movement velocity and upward acceleration can be arbitrarily set by changing the air-supply pressure. In addition, the uppermost location for the movement can be changed and the vertical movement distance can be arbitrarily set, by changing the fixed location of the stopper 29.

[0027] Consequently, the movement velocity, the acceleration and the movement distance can be set according to the viscosity of the resist 5 and the wettability of the wafer 1 which are used. For example, when the resist 5 has a low viscosity and is easy to spread, the acceleration is lowered and the movement distance is shortened, and when the resist 5 has a high viscosity and is hard to spread, the acceleration is heightened and the movement distance is extended. As these examples, a proper condition can be set according to the characteristics of the resist and wafer. Therefore, the resist application can be finished in a smaller quantity and more satisfactorily than those in the conventional apparatus.

[0028] In addition, since the upward movement path becomes the carrying path for the wafer, the resist application step and the wafer-carrying step can be implemented concurrently. Therefore, the wafer-carrying time can be shortened.

[0029] It is to be noted that the air cylinder 21 is used as the vertical movement means in this embodiment, which is not limited to this example. Various means can be adopted as the vertical movement means. For example, a stepping motor may be used instead of the air cylinder 21 to change the movement distance according to the rotating number of the stepping motor and the movement velocity according to the rotating velocity. The movement distance can be controlled by using the stepping motor with high accuracy.

[0030] (Second Embodiment)

[0031]FIG. 2 is a main part side view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment in the present invention. In this embodiment, a blade 41 is set under a chuck 13. A column support 43 supporting the chuck 13 has a cylindrical shape, and a rotation axis 47 is inserted therein. The chuck 13 and the column support 43 can move integrally in a direction vertical to the rotation axis 47. The rotation axis 47 is coupled to a rotation means (not shown), and can rotate around vertical axis. As the rotation axis 47 rotates, the column support 43 and the chuck 13 also rotate.

[0032] At the side of the column support 43, a rough-rectangle-shaped groove 45 with long sides in a vertical direction is provided. A stopper 49 is provided at the rotation axis 47, and sticks out from the groove 45 toward the outside. When the column support 43 moves vertically, the stopper 49 abuts on the edge of the groove 45 to stop the movement of the column support 43.

[0033] In the next, the operation in this embodiment will be described. The wafer 1 is held by a chuck 3, and a resist 5 is dropped on the wafer 1. In this state, the stopper 49 is located at the uppermost of the groove 45. The rotation axis 47 is rotated around vertical axis by the rotation means concurrently with the rotation of the chuck 13.

[0034] When the rotation occurs, the lift force is generated due to the blade 41, and the chuck 13 is pushed up. Concurrently, the column support 43 also moves upward along with the chuck 13. In other words, in this embodiment as in the first one, the chuck 13 moves upward rotating while the resist 5 is spread and applied, pressed against by the wafer 1. After the upward movement in a predetermined distance, the lower side of the groove 45 abuts on the stopper 49 to stop the upward movement.

[0035] Also in this embodiment, since the resist is spread while pressed against the wafer, the poor application and the bubble entry can be prevented even on a resist with a high viscosity or a substrate with poor wettability. Consequently, there is no need for the resist to be dropped in more quantity than necessary, and the resist application can be finished in a smaller quantity thereby than by applying only by rotation.

[0036] According to this embodiment, the chuck 13 moves upward automatically when the rotation occurs, by providing the blade 41. Therefore, the advantage can be achieved that there is no need to provide the air cylinder 21 and the like needed in the first embodiment.

[0037] Also in this embodiment, the vertical movement velocity is decided by the shape of the blade 41 and the rotation velocity while the movement distance is decided by the length of the groove 45 and the location of the stopper 49. In this specification, although the location of the stopper 49 is fixed, the movement distance can be made changeable if the location of the stopper 49 at the rotation axis 47 is made adjustable.

[0038] Further in this embodiment, it is to be noted that although the example is shown that the movement distance is set by a mechanical device and operation, the movement distance may be set arbitrarily by providing a timer and so on. In this example, when the resist has a low viscosity and is easy to spread, the movement distance is shortened, and when the resist has a high viscosity and is hard to spread, the movement distance is extended.

[0039] In the present invention as described above, there can be provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the resist application can be finished in a small quantity even on a resist with a high viscosity or a substrate with poor wettability. Further in another aspect of the present invention, there can be also provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the resist application step and the wafer-carrying step are implemented simultaneously to shorten the time for carrying the wafer. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: holding a wafer with a stage; coating a resist on the wafer by spinning the wafer; elevating the stage which is holding the wafer while the resist is coated on the wafer.
 2. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: carrying the wafer in the horizontal direction from the elevated stage.
 3. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the elevated stage corresponds to the direction in which the wafer is carried.
 4. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a velocity of the stage is set arbitrarily.
 5. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an elevating movement distance of the stage is set arbitrarily.
 6. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an elevating movement time of the stage is set arbitrarily.
 7. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: holding a wafer with a stage; coating a resist on the wafer by spinning the wafer; going up the stage which is holding the wafer while the resist is coated on the wafer.
 8. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, further comprising: after going up the stage, carrying the wafer in the horizontal direction from the stage.
 9. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the moving direction of the stage corresponds to the direction in which the wafer is carried.
 10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein a moving velocity of the stage is set arbitrarily.
 11. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein an moving distance of the stage is set arbitrarily.
 12. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein an moving time of the stage is set arbitrarily. 